2011 Grant Recipients

In 2011 the following recipients benefitted from grants from The Arab British Centre:

Al Farabi Concerto, Music From Egypt, St John’s Smith Square

Al Farabi Concerto is a series of concerts presenting works by exceptionally gifted contemporary composers from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Syria. The concerts are designed to promote the music of Arab composers, alongside that of their Western counterparts, through performances by the UK’s most acclaimed orchestras, soloists and conductors, in London’s main concert venues. In March 2011, the Concerto held a performance of ‘Music From Egypt’ with four UK premieres from the new generation of Egyptian composers, and music from Egypt’s first School of Composition.

Cornerhouse , New Cartographies: Algeria-France-UK

Cornerhouse is Manchester’s international centre for contemporary visual arts and independent film. New Cartographies: Algeria-France-UK brought together work by ten emerging and established contemporary artists to explore Africa’s largest country and its complex relationship with Europe as it headed towards its fiftieth year of independence.

New Cartographies examined issues of diaspora, migration, memory and identity by investigating the cultural and personal aspects of journeying across politically connected countries. It explored links and frontiers between Europe and North Africa in the age of neo-liberalism, and made a timely intervention in debates on colonial and post-colonial politics and culture.

The exhibition was curated by Dr Edward Welch, University of Durham, and Dr Joseph McGonagle, University of Manchester.